ConVal alum Julia Donovan of Antrim is making a name for herself on the collegiate lacrosse field this spring at Plymouth State, racking up accolades and leading her team on the offensive end.
“We haven’t had someone come in and be so immediately impactful in my years as Julia has been,” said Plymouth State head coach Sandy Bridgeman, who called her freshman attacker an “unexpected surprise.”
“She really started the season off so hot and confident and really has grown into her role on the team.”
Donovan is currently leading her team in goals (15), assists (10) and points (25) and was named Little East Conference Rookie of the Week for both the first and second week of the season. She opened her season with an eight-point hat-trick against Wentworth and then scored four goals in each game against the University of New England, UMaine-Farmington and Salem State.
Donovan said that her team welcomed her in with open arms after meeting for preseason activities.
“I got to get to know my team,” Donovan said, “and I want to learn from the upperclassmen and they really respect that … The team believes in me, so that makes me believe in myself. They hype me up when I do good things, and when I’m frustrated they are there for me.”
Now that the stats and honors are piling up, she’s gaining a lot more attention from defenders; against Colby on Sunday, Donovan was held scoreless for the first time as the Panthers dropped their first contest of the spring with the Mules focused on limiting the freshman’s chances.
“That’s a tip of the cap for her doing so well,” Bridgeman said.
Alumnae from coach Derek Sorbello’s ConVal program are sprinkled all around New England playing lacrosse at various colleges, which makes for some fun reunions and friendly rivalries. Last week’s game between Plymouth State and Salem State saw Donovan square off with her former high school teammate Madelynn Plourde, who is leading her own team this spring with 11 goals and 13 points. Both former Cougars scored in the game.
“It is super cool to play against former ConVal players,” Donovan said. “It was so much fun – it really pushed me!”
The Panthers are out to a 4-1 start on the season going into Wednesday’s game at New England College, and Donovan has high hopes for the season with her young team, which has just four seniors.
“I want to win a championship with this team, and for the seniors especially,” Donovan said, “and that pushes me a lot to do better.”